


In the Beginning...

by Pellaaearien



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: BAMF Chloe Decker, Chloe Decker knows, Established Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, F/M, God's A+ Parenting, In which God is literally Neil Gaiman, Inspired by the "Once Upon a Time" AU, Protective Chloe Decker, Protective Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), the scene we all knew had to happen eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 09:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pellaaearien/pseuds/Pellaaearien
Summary: Chloe and God have a long-expected confrontation.





	In the Beginning...

**Author's Note:**

> So, some hella disclaimers for this story: this is just my headcanon based on the show and doesn't reflect my beliefs or those of anyone else. The AU episode brought up a lot of questions and I couldn't rest until I'd written this conversation that we all knew needed to happen eventually. 
> 
> As for setting: this is tentatively part of my In Other Words series but it's so far afield I'm not sure if I want to actually say it's integrated yet. That might change depending on where things end up. The general idea is that this happens during a crossover between the two universes, where God is forced to make an appearance in order to sort things out. I was sort of envisioning the precinct as the place they're talking as it's a nice neutral environment, though it could be anywhere. Dealer's choice :)
> 
> Also, this is most definitely post-endgame, and Chloe knows absolutely everything: not just that Lucifer is the Devil, but everything else as well.

“You wanted to speak to me.”

The wry, accented voice - so like Lucifer’s, and yet not - came from behind her, and Chloe willed herself not to react. Her heart shivered in her chest at the thought of what she was about to do but she wouldn’t back down. She turned to face Lucifer’s Father.

She was constantly surprised by how God chose to look - she’d made fun of Lucifer before for his “homeless magician” look but the figure before her was downright _scruffy_. His flyaway curls might have resembled Lucifer’s if Lucifer had completely given up on personal grooming, in direct contrast to how put together His son usually looked. She wondered idly if that was why Lucifer hated leaving his hair unstyled.

“It’s a reason, yes,” God responded gently to her unasked question. “Though this isn’t my real form, of course.”

Chloe nodded once. “Right.” She pursed her lips. “Aren’t you omniscient? You already know everything I’m going to say.”

God smiled. “Indeed, my dear, though I would never curtail your free will by robbing you of the opportunity to say it.”

Chloe scowled. “Oh, so _now_ you’re all about free will. After what you did to Lucifer, excuse me if I’m skeptical.” It seemed they were having this conversation anyway. Given that she’d assumed the only way she’d get the opportunity was after she died, she wasn’t about to waste this chance.

God’s smile never faltered. “You have nothing to fear from me, child. I would never fault you for speaking your mind.”

Chloe folded her arms. If this conversation was only going to succeed in making her angry it was going to be a lot easier not to censor herself. “So it’s just Lucifer who gets that distinction. Good to know.”

If anything, God’s smile grew wider. “The way you’re so quick to speak in my son’s defense… it’s truly something.”

Chloe hoped this wouldn’t end with her punching God in the face. “Yeah, well I wouldn’t _have_ to if you hadn’t allowed him to be _vilified_ for all eternity. You cast him out, and he had _no one_. Not a single one of his siblings stood by him, either because they agreed with you or they were afraid of you. He spent _all_ of history as humanity’s scapegoat. How could you do that to him?”

For the first time, God looked troubled. “I… never wanted any of that to happen.”

“But you knew it would.”

God sighed. “You’re a mother yourself, Chloe Decker. You know what it is to allow your child to make a mistake, to learn, despite knowing what the consequences will be.”

Chloe’s temper flared. “Yeah, I am a mother. And I know that you allow your child to make those mistakes when the consequences will teach them something. What does being the world’s whipping boy teach Lucifer, except that he’s unworthy of love? Your own son thinks he’s a _monster_. Because you _abandoned_ him.”

“It is… regrettable. But you are living proof that he’s not. You, your daughter, your friends.”

Chloe wasn’t having it. “Yeah, _now_. Millennia later. And don’t give me any of that “time is meaningless to immortals” crap - do you know how fucking _hard_ I’ve had to work to undo the harm you’ve done? And that’s _after_ I managed to convince him that your meddling had nothing to do with my choices - it didn’t, right?” She was briefly diverted by a moment of doubt.

“Goodness me, of course not,” God answered. “Your choices are completely your own. You’ve always been free to walk away from my son and have nothing to do with him. My “meddling,” as you call it, was simply to ensure that someone with your characteristics was born in the right place at the right time. The rest was entirely up to the two of you.” He shook His head. “I’ve only ever wanted what was best for Lucifer.”

Chloe couldn’t help it - she scoffed. “Really? I find that hard to believe. You cast him out - that’s after you were convinced not to _destroy_ him -”

“Lucifer’s Mother wasn’t exactly telling the truth,” God interjected, and though His voice was mild as ever, for the first time Chloe felt uneasy at the accusations she was slinging around, as the aura of divinity that always surrounded Him made itself known. “I admit I was angry. But I never would have destroyed Lucifer. The reason I sent him to Hell was that wherever I sent him would be a punishment in his eyes. Better it be Hell, rather than Earth, which is a much better environment for him. Had I sent him to Earth in the first place, he would have grown to resent it, when it was intended to be his respite. He was, of course, free to leave Hell any time he wished.”

“Right. Well, numerous people should have gotten that memo. Starting with Lucifer himself - also Amenadiel, assuming you didn’t actually sic him on Lucifer to send him back downstairs.”

God shook His head. “I did nothing of the sort. Amenadiel made his own decisions. It was Lucifer’s choice to go along with them. I gave him the free will he wanted, and afterwards I could no longer interfere.”

“Bullshit.” The word was out before Chloe knew what was happening, and she clapped her hands over her mouth belatedly. God just looked at her with amusement.

“Don’t fret, my dear. Please, feel free to elaborate.”

Chloe continued, slowly. “I’m just saying, you could… y’know, talk to people. Especially your children.”

God smiled sadly. “That’s where you’re wrong, child. Anything I say will inevitably influence people. Whenever I’ve tried to step in and intervene, it never fails to make matters worse. Far better for me to watch and not interfere, though I might mourn at what I see, than give myself more reasons to mourn.”

Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “And I’m supposed to believe that I’m an exception to this rule?”

God shrugged. “It was, as you say, past time to make amends with Lucifer.”

“Maybe it might be _limited_ and _human_ of me to say, but couldn’t you make amends by actually… explaining these things to Lucifer? Rather than just sending him something else to convince him you were manipulating him again?”

“That’s the unfortunate thing about omniscience. It often looks like manipulation to the uninitiated. I knew Lucifer would never listen to anything I had to say so I merely placed you in his path to let him draw his own conclusions.”

Chloe wanted to growl in frustration. “But you _knew_ what conclusions he would draw.”

God nodded. “Of course. But I also knew how _you_ would react. Or would most likely react. You are the wild card in all of this, Chloe Decker. When it comes to the vagaries of free will, even I am blind, though not so blind as most. I had a reasonable amount of hope it would all turn out for the best, and, well...” He spread his hands, encompassing the situation at large with a beatific smile.

Chloe shook her head from side to side, processing this. “I still think there’s gotta be a middle ground… some kind of line between enforcing your will on others and allowing yourself to be deliberately misinterpreted. There has to be a difference between supporting free will and letting your son punish himself pointlessly for all eternity. You never answering anyone is just as bad.” She didn’t need to mention Uriel; God’s face still darkened, the echo of a grief incomprehensible to her mortal mind such that she couldn’t breathe. Then He blinked, and her chest eased, like the sun had come out from behind a cloud.

“Apologies, my dear. Do go on.”

Chloe took a deep breath, centering herself on the windowsill as God slipped His hands in His pockets, looking almost sheepish.

“Well, since you’re giving me the chance, I’m going to say something to you that I also had to tell your son: free will doesn’t count if you don’t know you’re making a choice. You said Lucifer was free to leave Hell any time he wanted, but _he_ didn’t know that. He thought you wanted him in Hell because you never told him otherwise. He thought you abandoned him because you never spoke to him. He’s not even banned from Heaven, is he?” She didn’t know where the question had come from but she knew it was the truth as soon as it was out of her mouth. God shook His head. It fanned the embers of rage in Chloe’s chest once again.

“How can you be okay with that?” she demanded. “He thinks he can never go back to Heaven, even if he wanted to. You were the one who cast him out and made him assume he could never come back. He goes to Hell when he dies because he believes that’s where he _should_ go. How is that right?” She made the mistake of meeting God’s eyes, which were swirling dark pools of miasmic power. It took everything she had to look away. 

God Himself showed no signs of surprise at her accusation, of course. He’d known how the conversation was going to end before it even began. “There may be some truth in what you say, child. Perhaps it takes a “limited human” perspective to see what even I could not. I did not wish for matters with Lucifer to fall out the way they did, and I grieved at the necessity. It may be time to make myself known more fully, though my words may fall on deaf ears.”

Anyone else would have called that a massive victory - talking down God Himself, opening the possibility of reconciliation between Father and son. But Chloe knew, as surely as if she’d seen a snippet of the future from her brief glimpse of those omnipotent eyes, how such an arrangement was destined to end.

“My mother,” she said suddenly, “never kicked me out of the house. Never allowed horrible lies to be spread about me in her name. Wasn’t guilty of anything except being overbearing and a little immature. I still dread the days when she drops by unannounced because she turns my world upside down. God…” Chloe swallowed hard, but Lucifer’s Father was watching her with what almost seemed like pride and it bolstered her courage. “Lucifer is hurting, deeply, because of what you’ve done. Or didn’t do. If there’s going to be any chance of fixing this, it needs to be on _his_ terms. Not yours. He just… needs you to be there for him.” She cocked her head to the side. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

God _winked._ “I’m very glad you made the decision to stay by my son, Chloe Decker.”

Chloe started to smile before a thought belatedly occurred to her. “If you already knew everything I was going to say, why didn’t you just do it in the first place?”

God opened His mouth, but before He could speak, Lucifer burst into the room, full of storm and fury, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as he called her name in a voice scraped raw. “Chloe!” He planted himself firmly between her and his Father, pulling her behind him defensively. “Stay away from her,” he practically growled.

God raised His hands. “Peace, Lucifer.”

“Don’t _call_ me…” Lucifer started to snap, then paused. “What did you say?”

“Lucifer.” God pronounced the name deliberately, each syllable rolling with power. Lucifer shivered. “It’s your name. The name you chose, and as such, infinitely more important than the name I gave you. Whatever else might be true, you haven’t been “of me” for quite a long time now.”

Lucifer was still frozen in disbelief, fists clenched at his sides, back ramrod-straight. “ _What_?” he repeated.

“Lucifer, it’s okay,” Chloe said, placing a careful hand on his shoulder. “I wanted to talk.” Lucifer turned his head while keeping his eyes on his Father.

“No, it is _not_ okay,” Lucifer gritted out. He turned back to face God again. “I don’t want you near her. You’ve done enough damage.”

“I know,” God said, with infinite gentleness. “And I’m sorry, son.”

Lucifer inhaled so sharply Chloe’s chest ached in sympathy. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Father?” His voice dripped suspicion.

“You demanded an apology,” God answered simply. “But I couldn’t offer you one in that form, however much you may have deserved one. I thought it might mean more coming from me.” Chloe tentatively slipped a hand into Lucifer’s, and he gripped it tightly.

“So that _was_ you. At the hospital. _God_ Johnson,” he breathed. God nodded.

“Just a piece. An echo. A touch of my essence, with none of my memories. One can’t apologize for what one can’t remember. But I do. I was just trying to do what I thought was best for you. Instead, I led you to think I didn’t love you. Wasn’t so _proud_ of you and the life you created for yourself. And I will always be sorry for it.”

Lucifer had started to shake. God chose not to acknowledge it.

“I have been _informed_ ,” He said, his eyes cutting over to Chloe, “that I need to communicate better.”

“I don’t want to listen to _anything_ you have to say,” Lucifer spat. God just smiled, like it was no more than He’d expected.

“If you change your mind, I will answer you.” Then He was gone, as though He’d never been.

Chloe let out a slow breath and relaxed against Lucifer, not having realized how much space God’s presence had taken out of the room. The enormity of what she’d just done crashed down at her all at once, and she sank down on the nearest flat surface, which happened to be the floor.

Lucifer went to his knees immediately beside her, cupping her face in his hands. “Chloe? Are you all right? What did He say to you?”

Chloe let out a shaky laugh. “He didn’t actually say that much… mostly just listened to me yell at Him.”

An odd expression of rueful pride overtook the terrified fury in Lucifer’s eyes. “Of course you did. Bloody Devil’s advocate you are.”

Chloe snorted. “Good one.” Despite her best efforts, her voice was still unsteady. “He… explained some things.” Lucifer’s eyes sharpened and Chloe smiled, her lips trembling. “Not like that. He wasn’t trying to _convert_ me or whatever it is you’re thinking. He still didn’t do right by you, and I told Him so.”

“Chloe…” Lucifer still looked like he couldn’t decide whether to be terrified or impressed. Chloe could relate.

“I’m okay. I’m just. Freaking out. Give me a minute.”

Lucifer nodded, pulling her into his arms. Chloe could still feel the residual tension humming in his muscles. They had a _lot_ they needed to talk about, but for the moment Chloe could only focus on one thing, the most important thing.

“I love you,” she told him, twisting her head to look up at him.

Lucifer’s eyes were wet; she could feel the moisture on his lashes when he bent to kiss her, burying his hand in her hair. “I love you, too.”

Somewhere, Chloe found herself thinking vaguely, God was probably looking on in pleased satisfaction. But she found, as the kiss deepened, and she settled further into Lucifer’s lap, as his mouth opened for her tongue, that she didn’t really care.


End file.
